This points to a larger problem in America, described by a guy I used to work with as "Born on 3rd base, thinks he hit a triple."

Americans have no idea how much they rely on the help of others. They think everything they get is earned by them and them alone, when the fact is, the tax dollars paid by them (and others) provide infrastructure, social and legal systems that are unthinkable in 99% of the rest of the world.

"I was on welfare, no one helped me out," isn't that insane when you consider some of the rest of the stuff you see, like the car-addicted driver who whines about traffic but also whines about taxes designed to pay for new roads. Or the parent who always votes no on bond issues for the schools, yet can't complain often enough about the quality of his children's education. Or how about those rugged, anti-government, anti-welfare "individualists" in Alaska who'd scream bloody murder if they didn't get their free money every year from the oil companies.

Welfare recipients don't get anything close to the TARP amounts, so he's right to complain, IMHO.

Read it again sloooooowly: "I've been on Welfare and Food Stamps, did anyone help me out? No." His statement is the epitome of hypocrisy. The TARP funds were loans and equity investments, meaning that taxpayers will eventually be paid back with a return on investment if/when the financial institutions that needed these funds recover. Welfare recipients do not pay the government back in-full if/when they no longer require financial support.

Welfare recipients do not pay the government back in-full if/when they no longer require financial support

Technically they do pay the government back in the form of taxes. If they no longer require financial support than theres a good chance they are working and making enough to pay federal taxes. Even if they arent paying federal taxes, if they have a job, they are still paying social security and medicare.

Techincally that may be true, but welfare is not classified as a loan. If the welfare recipient never earns taxable income again, the government is never repaid. If they do earn taxable income again, it is entirely possible that the government is never made whole on the full amount of welfare provided. I assume that most people coming off of welfare are not in Coach's welfare to bad sitcom star position. In either case, former welfare recipients should not be bitching about handouts.